gedit - Can't install custom syntax highlighter file

[Bainespal]

Someone else wrote a gedit GTKSourceview syntax highlighter definition file (with a .lang extension) for a rare high-level language used for creating text adventure games. I've been trying to install the file, but I can't get syntax coloring to appear or make gedit recognize the source file type.

The wiki for the text adventure language says that the .lang file needs to be moved to either /usr/share/gtksourceview-3.0/language-specs or /usr/share/gtksourceview-2.0/language-specs. I have copied the file into both directories, with no result.

Having searched the Internet fairly extensively, it looks like some people say that gedit syntax highlighters should go in /.local/share/gtksourceview-2.0/language-specs. That directory did not exist on my Linux Mint system, but I created it anyways and copied the .lang file there just to try it. I also created a parallel /.local/share/gtksourceview-3.0/language-specs and put another copy of the file there. Still, nothing.

I've been using Linux for about a year, but I still don't understand the file system. Help would greatly appreciated.

I'm using Linux Mint 15 Cinnamon with gedit 2.30.4.

[xenopeek]

Have you validated the file? Go to /usr/share/gtksourceview-2.0/language-specs:

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cd /usr/share/gtksourceview-2.0/language-specs

Run the validator:

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bash check.sh

If you get an error about xmllint not being found, install the package libxml2-utils first:

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apt install libxml2-utils

Anyway, by moving one of the .lang files out of the /usr/share/gtksourceview-2.0/language-specs directory and then starting Gedit 2.30.4 again I've confirmed that this is the right directory to place .lang files. Gedit no longer showed this language is the syntax selection box at the bottom of the window. It showed it again once I moved the .lang file back into this directory and restarting Gedit.

Do you have a download link for the syntax file?

[Bainespal]

Thank you.

Run the validator:

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bash check.sh

I do not get an error about xmllint. When I'm not logged in as root, I get a warning about the syntax file I'm interested in as well as two identical I/O "Permission denied" errors:

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warning: failed to load external entity "hugo.lang"

When I log in as root with the su command, hugo.lang appears to validate normally with all the other syntax files, but I get this warning:

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warning: failed to load external entity "*.xml"

Do you have a download link for the syntax file?

http://roody.gerynarsabode.org/hbe/synt ... /hugo.lang

Anyway, by moving one of the .lang files out of the /usr/share/gtksourceview-2.0/language-specs directory and then starting Gedit 2.30.4 again I've confirmed that this is the right directory to place .lang files. Gedit no longer showed this language is the syntax selection box at the bottom of the window. It showed it again once I moved the .lang file back into this directory and restarting Gedit.

That's very valuable information. Thanks!

[xenopeek]

I don't have Linux Mint 15 here any longer, but Linux Mint 16 works just fine. I put your file in the /usr/share/gtksourceview-2.0/language-specs directory, ran the validator and then ran Gedit. I could select it easily. I think you are doing something wrong/different than what I am doing. Perhaps learn to use sudo as logging in to your system as root is just asking to run into problems

Obligatory proof (click to enlarge):